Fight or Flight
by Superhero Anonymous
Summary: Beast Boy challenges Raven to a fight. And if there's one thing that's for sure, this can only end one way: badly.
**Fight or Flight**

"Titans, go!"

Leading the charge, the boy wonder rushed straight at his opponent, his bo staff twirling around his fingertips. Dodging the oncoming attacks with instinctual ease, he leapt into the air, delivering a series of rapid strikes before flipping just out of reach.

A metallic fist followed, slamming right into the opponent's midsection with a mighty crash. The half-robot grinned. He opened his mouth, preparing to celebrate with a loud shout, but was suddenly knocked down, pinned to the ground by a strong metal clamp.

"Cyborg!"

Immediately, a barrage of green bursts peppered from above, loosening the enemy's grip on the metallic hero. Flying low, the Tameranean princess scooped up her fallen comrade and retreated to safety.

"Friend, are you alright?" she asked, her eyes filled with worry.

The metal man gasped for air, but gave her a thumbs-up.

"Yeah, I'm good, Star! Don't worry about me!" he replied. His eyes suddenly grew wide. "Look out!"

Whipping around, she gasped as a rocket barreled straight towards them. There was no time to react.

A black wall suddenly materialized in front of them, taking the brunt of the attack in a fiery explosion. A green jaguar quickly followed, leaping over their heads gracefully. With a primal roar, the feline charged.

The adversary turned, aiming its weapons at the oncoming Titan, its cannons charging with a rising whir.

"Beast Boy, watch out!"

Sensing the oncoming danger, the boy wonder rushed over to save his friend, but was effortlessly knocked aside by a whirling appendage.

Oblivious to the impending attack, the jaguar pounced onto his foe, claws drawn and fangs bared. It was then that he noticed the menacing red glow of fully charged lasers. He managed to blink once.

At once, the cloaked mystic appeared at his side, throwing up a desperate shield. But it was no use. Both Titans were blasted high into the air, and landed against the far wall with a dull thud.

Dazed, the green jaguar morphed back into his human form. He lifted his gaze, and found himself staring at the wrong end of a very large barrel.

"Oh, crud," he muttered.

But before the machine could act, a loud click sounded, and the machine shut down with an electronic buzz.

"Training simulation aborted."

He sighed, wiping the sweat from his forehead wearily. This was not gonna end well.

-TT-

"I don't know what else to say, Beast Boy."

Four of the Titans were seated on the training room bench, eagerly making the most of the opportunity to rest. Robin, however, had elected to stand.

"That was the third time today that we've failed the training simulation. A simulation." Robin directed his gaze at the young changeling. "And each time, it was because of you."

"Hey! That's not fair!" Beast Boy protested. "I waited for you guys to attack first this time, like you said! I'm following _your_ orders, Robin!"

"That's not the point," he countered, folding his arms. "You're repeatedly putting yourself in needless danger, which puts the rest of us in danger too; not to mention the whole mission. Work together; stop trying to be a hero."

"Isn't that what we are? Heroes?" Beast Boy grit his teeth angrily. "Or should we all just sit around and let the bad guys blast us first?"

"Hey B," Cyborg interrupted, placing an arm around his friend's shoulder. "Nobody's sayin' that we shouldn't fight at all. But I think what Robin's tryin' to say is that we should fight as a team."

"Yes, friend Beast Boy," Starfire agreed. "As Robin has said before, we are not the five heroes; we are one team."

"Yeah? Well if we're a team, how come I'm the only one gettin' chewed out here?" Beast Boy retorted. "When Robin goes first, it's okay; when Cy gets hurt, it's okay. But when I go first or get hurt, all of a sudden, it's not okay!"

"That's because someone _else_ always gets hurt trying to save you…" Raven muttered, clutching her forehead.

"Yeah, well, maybe you should stop trying to save me!" Beast Boy shot back, glaring at her. "I'm not some helpless kid; I've been doin' this a lot longer than all of you!"

She snorted. "And yet, you're still getting yourself killed, every single time."

"Oh yeah? No one asked for _your_ opinion, Raven!"

"Hey! Cut it out!" Robin commanded. He turned to face the whole team. "Now, I want you all to get ready for another run, and Beast Boy, I want you to—"

"No," Beast Boy cut in, rising to his feet. "I'm done. I'm tired of doin' this stupid training drill, and I'm tired of being bossed around by you, Robin." He marched towards the door. "I'm outta here."

"Hey, c'mon man," Cyborg called out, rushing to catch up with his friend. "I know this sucks, but it's the only way we're gonna get better."

"What, so you don't think I'm good enough already?" Beast Boy shot back.

"That's not what I—"

"No, I know what you're thinking." Beast Boy marched straight up towards the metallic Titan, stabbing a finger in his chest. "You think I'm _weak_."

"Dude, I never said that—"

"You don't have to say anything. I already know what you really think." He swept his gaze towards the other Titans. "That's what you _all_ think. _I'm weak_. But if I really wanted to, I could take you all down, easily."

"Really…" Raven droned.

Beast Boy narrowed his eyes. "Yeah, really. Want me to show you?"

Silence.

All eyes simultaneously turned towards the violet-haired mystic, who coolly met the young changeling's fierce gaze. No witty retort, no flashes of red or white in her eyes…just…silence.

For a moment, nobody dared to make a single move.

Finally, the empath rose to her feet.

"Alright."

Pulling up her hood, she calmly walked towards the center of the training room. Turning back around, she folded her arms nonchalantly.

"Whenever you're ready."

But before Beast Boy could make a single move, the room erupted into a chorus of protests.

"Guys, are you serious? You're actually gonna fight?!"

"Titans, stand down; that's an order!"

"Friends, please! Do not do this!"

Raven silenced them with a dismissive wave of her hand.

"I understand your concerns, but I've made my choice. This is between Beast Boy and me." She motioned towards the door. "Now, leave."

Cyborg quickly made for the exit. "Fine by me!" he called out. "But I ain't cleanin' up the mess after!"

Robin eyed the hooded Titan carefully for a moment, before nodding wordlessly and also preparing to take his leave.

But the princess remained, desperate to stop the chaos that was surely about to unfold.

"No! This is not right! Friends should not engage each other with such violence!"

She zipped over towards the green changeling. "Beast Boy, please—"

But he merely brushed her aside, keeping his gaze locked on his hooded target ahead.

Frantically, Starfire rushed towards the other Titan, grabbing her by the shoulders. "Raven, you must reconsider! Do not do this!" Her eyes began glistening in despair. "Please…"

But Raven merely stared back, her expression as impassive as a brick wall.

"C'mon, Star," the boy wonder soothed, gently leading the princess away by her arm. "Let's go."

Reluctantly, Starfire conceded, her sniffles echoing down the hallway as the pair left the room.

Raven then turned her attention to the boy standing in front of her.

"It's just you and me now."

-TT-

Finally. It was about time that drama queen left; she was acting like he was already dead or something. Some friend.

"You're angry. Why?"

Beast Boy turned his gaze towards the girl standing in front of him, her arms crossed in silent judgment. Like she always did.

"Why do you think?" he shot back.

"I don't know, Beast Boy. I'm an empath, not a telepath; I can't read your mind."

He grit his teeth. "Isn't it _obvious_? Robin only gets mad at me, Cyborg thinks I can't handle myself, Starfire cries like it's my funeral, and you…" He narrowed his eyes. "You're _always_ putting me down. Makin' fun of me. Treating me like _dirt_ ," he spat. "Well, I've had it!"

"Beast Boy, none of us are trying to belittle you. You're our friend. We care about you."

"Oh really?" he snorted. What a _liar_. "Funny way of showing that. I bet that's why you call me an idiot all the time, right? 'Cuz you _care_."

"Yes," she replied frankly. "I'm being honest with you. And I'll be honest with you right now; fighting isn't going to solve anything. So why don't you just calm down and talk to me?"

Beast Boy growled angrily. "Why? Just so you can insult me some more?" he retorted. "That's all I ever hear from you anyways; 'I'm an idiot', 'I'm stupid', I'm about as mature as an unripe banana, and just as green'." He clenched his fists. "You don't care; none of you do. You guys say you're my friends but you sure don't act like it!"

She sighed. "Beast Boy—"

"No. Shut up." He cracked his knuckles loudly. "Lemme show you just how much I care about you."

And with that, he let loose a powerful right hook, stumbling awkwardly as Raven easily sidestepped it.

"You have _such_ a way with words…" she commented, rolling her eyes.

That was _it_. With fire in his eyes and a snarl on his lips, Beast Boy unleashed a flurry of vicious swipes at his hooded opponent. What, just because Raven was some magical half-demon with crazy powers, that gave her the right to treat him like some misbehaving child? No, he was gonna make her respect him, even if he had to beat her into submission.

He was gonna make her pay.

Except…none of his blows were landing. Shields of pure black power were blocking them all, fueled by a single outstretched palm.

"Beast Boy, stop with this nonsense; you're not going to beat me."

"Yeah? Well you're lucky I'm not using my powers, because unlike you, I don't need my powers to fight!"

She raised a single eyebrow, lowering her hand. "What makes you think I need my powers?"

Taking advantage of her lowered defenses, Beast Boy threw a mighty punch straight at her face. There was no way she could block this now.

In one motion, Raven spun on her heel, simultaneously ducking underneath his attack and sweeping his feet out from underneath him with her leg. She then placed her boot on top of his chest, peering down at the dazed Titan.

"Give it up, Beast Boy. The fight's over."

He grit his teeth, fuming loudly. "That's what you think!" he yelled, morphing into a snake and slipping away.

He then transformed into a ferocious grizzly bear and roared, preparing to maul her with all of his might. All bets were off now; nobody made a fool out him in a fight, especially not Raven!

But the Titan simply flew into the air, levitating safely out of his reach.

"Can you please stop acting like a child and just talk to me, Beast Boy?" she chided, folding her arms across her chest. "Or do I have to sit you in the corner and give you a timeout?"

He shifted back into his human form, angrily shaking his fist at her. "Yeah, well why don't you come down here and say it to my face, instead of hiding way up there!" he yelled back. "That's all you ever do anyways; run away and hide! You can dish out the insults just fine, but when people call _you_ names, all you do is hide in your room and cry like a little baby!"

Shocked, Raven landed tentatively, turning her gaze towards the floor. But at Beast Boy marched towards her, she suddenly lifted her eyes. They were blood red.

" **You're done.** "

Immediately, Beast Boy found himself frozen in place, encased in an aura of black magic. Then, with a wave of her hand, he was slammed against the ceiling, into the floor, and then thrown across the room like a child's rag doll. Crashing into the far wall of the training room, he collapsed to the ground in a heap.

Man, did that _hurt_. His forehead was throbbing, his back was numb, and his legs and arms felt like they were on fire. Well, Raven had definitely made her point; there was no way he could beat her in a fight.

Not by conventional means, anyways. He still had one trick up his sleeve; something he learned from the small North American opossum.

So he lay perfectly still, waiting for the right moment. He slowly cracked open an eye.

His target was now standing in the center of the room, breathing heavily from exertion. Lowering her hand, she cast her gaze towards the floor.

"This is exactly what I was afraid of…" she said in a low voice. "Allowing anger to lead to violence. Except…you're the one that got hurt. So I'm not going to fight you anymore."

Taking off her hood, she slowly made her way towards the fallen boy, one soft step at a time.

Wait for it…

"I understand that you're angry…" she continued, drawing even closer. "And that's okay…because…it's partly my fault…"

Just a little more…

"And so…I…um…" She trailed off, stopping right in front of his nose.

 _Now_.

"I just wanted to say—"

In a flash, a green jaguar sprang into action, pouncing onto his unsuspecting prey with lightning speed. Pinning her shoulders to the ground, he let loose a savage roar, daring the half-demon to fight back.

Except…she didn't. Instead, she met his gaze with soft amethyst eyes and spoke three simple words.

"I'm sorry…Garfield."

Wait. Did she just call him…?

He blinked, refocusing his gaze. The figure in his clutches was no longer a fearsome half-demon, whom he had just triumphantly beaten into submission, but a familiar violet-haired Titan, whom he had just ruthlessly impaled with sharpened claws—

Oh no.

He stared down at his paws. There, on each shoulder, flowed numerous streams of crimson red, slowly forming puddles of life onto the floor.

He stumbled backwards in a daze, shifting back into his human form. Gone were the sharp claws and pointed teeth, but the blood on his hands still remained. _Her_ _blood_.

"Raven!" he cried, frantically rushing to her side. Falling to his knees, he placed his hands over each wound, desperately trying to stop the bleeding.

"I—I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean—I never—"

"Stop."

He immediately shut up, forcing himself not to cry. He watched as Raven slowly brought her hand up to one shoulder, bathing it in a soft white glow. She then turned her gaze towards him.

"There is no need to apologize. You were angry; angry that we weren't treating you with enough respect. And…perhaps rightfully so." She averted her gaze, focusing her powers on her other wounded shoulder. "I know my comments towards you aren't always very…pleasant. Or necessary. So…I deserve this."

"Raven…" he whimpered. This wasn't right; she didn't deserve this, no matter how guilty she might have been.

"But," she continued, turning back towards him, her voice strengthening. "Never believe for a second that we don't care about you, Garfield. Because we do. Always."

He met her gaze hesitantly. "Even…you?"

"Yes…" She trailed off, lowering her head. "Especially me."

Beast Boy tilted his head in confusion. What in the world did Raven mean by that? And that was twice now that she used his real name without making fun of him. Did she…?

She turned back sharply. "But don't get me wrong; I still think you're an idiot, Beast Boy."

Nope.

"Wow, thanks a bunch, Rae!" he teased, putting his arm around her jokingly. "I thought for a moment that you were goin' soft on me there. But _now_ I know you really do care!"

"Get off me; that hurts. Remember?" She gestured at her shoulders.

"Oh yeah…my bad." He grinned sheepishly, helping her to her feet. Everything was back to normal. Except…there was still one more thing he needed to do.

"Um, Raven?" he began. "So…about what I said…and what I did…"

"Forget about it," she dismissed, walking towards the exit. "I already told you, you don't need to apologize."

"I know, but…I wanted to anyways." He watched her stop in her tracks, and took a deep breath. "Raven…I'm sorry too."

Surprisingly, she turned around and gave him a soft smile. "I know."

Relieved, Beast Boy asked one more question, just to make sure.

"So…does that mean we're still friends?"

She nodded. "Always. Now let's go," she finished, opening the door. "I'm sure everyone wants to hear about the big fight that we just had."

Smiling, Beast Boy raced to catch up with her. Yeah, Cy would definitely want to hear about all the details. But, as to who actually won the fight, well… _technically_ , she gave up first, right?


End file.
